SICHUAN BLACK BEAN CHILLI OIL
You may have noticed, especially if you know me well, I’m a little bit obsessed with chilli and chilli condiments. This one is partly inspired by the Lagoanma chilli crisp, the red labelled jar with the lady on the label you’ll see in most Asian supermarkets, I particularly like the fermented black bean one for the extra unami funk .
Me and my partner, Mem have also become a little bit obsessed with Sichuan cooking over the last few months. I’ve always been a big fan of Sichuan food but I’ve never really cooked it before, what better time to start? We turned Sichuan meals into a weekend ritual over the winter lockdown, using Fuchsia Dunlop’s wonderful books as my guide.
So this is the black bean Sichuan oil I made, it is ridiculously addictive. The combination of the Sichuan pepper tingle and fermented black bean makes for a superb combination.
Before I share the recipe I wanted to express my support for the British (and worldwide) Asian community experiencing abuse and racism. While it has been exacerbated and highlighted through the pandemic it has something that sadly has always been there but I for one am only really now becoming aware of it. It wouldn’t feel right for me to share a recipe inspired/ from the food of China without mentioning this. I’ve included some relevant podcasts and articles I found interesting below the recipe.
Black bean Sichuan chilli Oil
500ml rapeseed oil
40g garlic, minced
4 star anise
1 4inch piece cassia bark
4 tbsp. Sichuan peppercorns
100g dried chillies
4 tablespoon fermented black beans, roughly chopped
50g black sesame, raw
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp. tamari
Place the rapeseed oil, garlic, star anise, cassia and Sichuan peppercorns into a medium saucepan. Turn the heat onto low and leave to infuse on this heat for an hour. Be careful not to let the garlic burn, it shouldn’t go darker than golden or it will become bitter. If it begins to get too dark you can take it off.
While your oil is infusing, grind the whole chilies in a food processor or spice blender. Transfer to a large heat proof bowl. Rinse and roughly chop the black beans and add to the bowl along with the rest of the ingredients.
When the oil is ready pour over the spices in the bowl. Mix and leave overnight ideally before eating. This will last for months in your cupboard.
My serving suggestion is that it can be added to pretty much everything and anything!
Enjoy.
Resources, listening and reading, about Asian hate and awareness:
Journalist Angela’s Huii’s articles on racism and being Chinese in the UK.
The Food Chain : a year in the life of a Chinese restaurant.
Charities to donate to :
